Shloka 20

The Killing of Ariṣṭāsura and Kaṁsa’s Plot to Summon Kṛṣṇa

Devanagari script

प्रतियाते तु देवर्षौ कंस आभाष्य केशिनम् । प्रेषयामास हन्येतां भवता रामकेशवौ ॥ २० ॥

Transliteration

pratiyāte tu devarṣau kaṁsa ābhāṣya keśinam preṣayām āsa hanyetāṁ bhavatā rāma-keśavau

Translation

After the divine sage Nārada departed, Kaṁsa summoned Keśī and commanded him, “Go and kill Rāma and Keśava (Kṛṣṇa).”

Synonyms

• pratiyāte: after (he) had departed
• pratiyāte: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√yā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; सप्तमी-एकवचन (locative absolute) नपुंसक/पुं-समर्थ: ‘when (he) had departed/after departure’

• tu: then/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; contrast/continuation ‘but/then’

• devarṣau: when the divine sage (Nārada)
• devarṣau: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: ‘divine sage’; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (in locative absolute with pratiyāte)

• kaṁsaḥ: Kaṁsa
• kaṁsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṁsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ābhāṣya: having addressed
• ābhāṣya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√bhāṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund): ‘having addressed/spoken to’

• keśinam: Keśin
• keśinam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• preṣayāmāsa: sent
• preṣayāmāsa: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√iṣ (धातु)
• Form: णिच् (causative) + लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘sent/caused to go’

• hanyetām: let (them two) be killed
• hanyetām: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन; ‘let the two be killed’

• bhavatā: by you (sir)
• bhavatā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भवत्-शब्द (honorific pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rāma-keśavau: Rāma and Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
• rāma-keśavau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक) + keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व: ‘Rāma and Keśava’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (here object of killing: द्वितीया)

Purport

Before having Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma brought to Mathurā, Kaṁsa tried sending one more demon to Vṛndāvana.

Characters & Entities

• Kaṁsa
• Keśī
• Nārada
• Balarāma
• Kṛṣṇa (Keśava)

FAQs

Why did Kaṁsa send Keśī to kill Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Srimad Bhagavatam?

Because Nārada’s information intensified Kaṁsa’s fear that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were his destined destroyers, so he ordered Keśī to eliminate them.

Who is speaking in Bhagavatam 10.36.20 and to whom is the message directed?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates that Kaṁsa spoke directly to the demon Keśī, commanding him to kill Rāma and Keśava (Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa).

What practical lesson does Bhagavatam 10.36.20 give for modern life?

Fear and envy drive destructive plans, while devotion aligns one with divine protection—choose dharma and bhakti over hostility and manipulation.